Trevor Bayliss, Head coach of England Cricket Team, on Thursday (14th February), admitted that they are still finding the right players for England’s top three position heading into the upcoming Ashes 2019 campaign at home later this year.
Bayliss further went on to reveal that he is no closer to finding a first-choice Test XI for the Ashes 2019, saying the selectors are still looking for those places and “it’s taking time.”
Following the West Indies Test series, which England lost 1-2 to the hosts, the Lions’ top order has once again come under scanner as none of those tried, including the top three of Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, and Joe Denly cemented their place in the side with averaging just 25, 25.19 and 28 respectively.
Bayliss said in an interview, “We’re still looking for those places. Supporters of English cricket want to have 11 exceptional cricketers but it’s taking time. The guys trying to nail those places down are working their backsides off to do well in international cricket but it’s taken a bit longer than they would like and longer than we would like as well.”
The coach continued, “The top three positions, the struggles they’ve had, is well documented. They’ve all shown what they can do but it’s about doing it more regularly.”
Meanwhile, Bayliss hinted that if the latest entrants succeed in pilling up runs in the red-ball cricket at English domestic circuit then it would be difficult to overlook them but at this stage, they are not certainly for the Ashes 2019 at home. He added, “If they come out and score as heavily as they have done in the last few years in county cricket then it might be difficult to look past them.”
On Jennings, Bayliss said, “He's made two Test hundreds and has been one of the heaviest scorers in county cricket. If he comes out and scores a lot of runs in the early matches of the season and no-one else does, then there might not be a decision to make. We've seen what he's capable of but at the moment he's lacking some confidence. It's not easy when everyone is talking about your position and he's coming to terms with that as well. Hopefully, there are some names out there who can score heavily in the county season to give us a choice to make.”
Bayliss also admitted that England’s experiment of batting Jonny Bairstow, who reclaimed the gloves from Ben Foakes in West Indies Tests at No. 3 is over, adding: “Yes that means the experiment of batting Jonny at No. 3 is over. And yes, that is unfortunately bad news for Foakes. He is obviously a very good keeper but I think we've also discovered someone who can put pressure on that middle order from a batting point of view.”
He signed off by saying, “It is one of those things, Bairstow is working on it and he has got to continue to work on it. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you work on it though, if you've been playing a certain way for a long time it is difficult to get out of it in a hurry. He is aware of it.”
(With PA/AAP Inputs)
